The Dragon Lord
by anotherbrother
Summary: After Ron and Hermione leave in the middle of the search for the horcruxes, Harry stumbles across a lost race of ancient warriors. They can shelter him and train him, but Voldermort is still gaining power. Choices must be made, and old allies and enemies are re-looked at. But, there remains shocks in store for everyone...
1. 1 Alone Again

Alone Again

(aka Aww, here goes)

_"Leave the horcrux," Harry said._

_Ron wrenched the chain from over his head and cast the locket into a nearby chair. He turned to Hermione._

_"What are you doing?"_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Are you staying, or what?"_

_"I…" She looked anguished. "Please Ron-"_

"MAKE UP YOU FUCKING MIND RIGHT NOW!" Ron roared.

Hermione sat still, torn and unable to choose between her two best friends. On one hand there was the boy who had always helped her, who put up with more than any of them, but never complained. Harry was her first real friend, and he would drop everything to help any of them if they ever asked for it.

"Please don't do this Ron," she pleaded, trying to stall for time if nothing else.

On the other hand, Ron was… Well Ron. He was arrogant, lazy, stupid and would jump at the chance to make a quick knut. The only reason she put up with him was because of Harry. And yet, she had always felt drawn to him. True, the feeling really started coming out after the fourth year, but she felt like she needed to be there for him. Like she had to-

"Fine, I guess you choose him," Ron spat, interrupting her internal debate. Without another word, he turned and walked out of the tent.

"Ron, wait!" cried Hermione, running after him. Ron may not be a good friend, but he still was a friend. And friends help each other. It had nothing to do with the fact that he had dropped some not-so-subtle hints that he was interested in more. Hermione couldn't just let him go, because he was a friend, that's all.

She ran for the flap of the tent, and Harry followed her. He would have loved to have let Ron get lost right then, but Hermione was a different matter entirely. Where Ron would change his attitude on a whim, Hermione had always stuck by him. When the school had shunned him during the Chamber fiasco, it was Hermione by his side. When Sirius was captured, it was Hermione who helped rescue him. When everyone though he was a fame seeking brat in their fourth year, she helped him train. When the ministry turned on him, she was the architect of the DA. Even last year, when he suspected Malfoy, she didn't believe him, but she never left his side through it. And he realized that he needed her intelligence now more than ever.

He got to the flap of the tent in time to see Hermione grab Ron and the pair of them apparated away. Harry fell to his knees in shock as his two best friends for the past seven years disappeared from in front of his eyes. In fact they were some his first friends ever. He had a feeling Ron would have eventually gotten fed up and left, but the last thing he expected Hermione to do the same.

He felt betrayed. He felt torn. He felt completely lost. Without Hermione to push him forward, or Ron to pull him back, he was just adrift. For a long while, he just stared at the spot that the two were in a moment ago. He couldn't think what else to do. He just didn't know what to do next.

Eventually, he slowly got back up, and walked back into the tent. He passed the flap and then did the one thing he hadn't since he was four. A tear escaped his eye for the first time in fourteen year. Then the dam burst, and he broke down crying. He cried long and hard, finally crying for all the loss and pain he suffered. His parents' death when he was a baby, his life with the Dursleys, Sirius getting pushed through the veil, Dumbledore's murder at Snape's hands.

Harry screamed out in anguish. His friends who swore that they would never leave his side had just done so. Now, he was alone again. A life time of tears and crying were finally allowed out, and they made up for the lost time.

Slowly, possibly hours later, when the sobs turned to silent tears, Harry regained a little of his composure. Able to think a little more clearly, he wondered, what to do next, and he was stumped. Without Ron and Hermione, he had no idea what to do or where to go.

And in that moment, he had an epiphany. He had never really made a decision for himself. Everything he did was guided by either Ron's choices or Hermione's nagging or most of all, Albus bloody Dumbledore's greater good.

Harry's musing was cut short by a soft pop outside. Not even thinking, he grabbed his wand and sent an emotionally charged stunner through the flap. He heard a shriek, but nothing else. Probably not a Death eater attack then. If the wards were still up, then it could be only one of three people. Not taking a chance anyway, he dried his eyes, calmed himself, and then stepped outside. Lying on her back was Hermione.

Harry sighed. He should have known that she would have tried to do something like this. She thought she was smart enough to get both the guys to work together with her, separately, while she tried to play the balancing act between them. For all her brains, sometimes Hermione just couldn't see what was in front of her eyes.

Harry could respect what she wanted to do, but Ron had walked out on him right when he needed him the most. Harry had forgiven him time and again in the past, but this was one that may not be forgiven. Whenever the going got though, Ron got going. The only time he really stuck by Harry was the incident at the Department of Mysteries. But, overall, he was a pretty lousy friend. And he had used up the last of the chances he was getting.

As much as he hated to do it, Harry knew he had to leave Hermione behind. He needed her mind, but with Ron gone, she wouldn't be able to focus on the task at hand. She would be too busy trying to get the boys to work together again, and mess up everything else they would work on. Realizing what had to be done, Harry let out a long sigh. Life, it seemed, would never go right for him.

He turned around and packed the tent up magically. Picking it up, he slung it over his shoulder and then turned to take down the wards.

As he worked, he let his mind wander on the history of the Gryffindor Golden Trio. Most of it involved either Harry or Hermione acting as a go-between because Ron was fighting with the other one of the pair. Come to think of it, the only major disagreement Harry had with Hermione was over the Half-Blood Prince.

Finishing with the wards, Harry turned to face the reason for his turmoil.

"Incarcerous," Harry called out. Ropes shot out from his wand and bound Hermione.

He knew that they could make a great team together, but he also knew that she had made her choice. Harry took one last look at his female best friend and then steeled himself for what he needed to do.

"Eneverate," he said and revived her.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed once she realized what was going on. "Please, let me go! I want to help you, I really do!"

"Hermione, Ron asked you to choose, and you did. You chose him. I can respect that, even if I don't like it."

"Harry please I-"

"You what? Want the both of us? Think Hermione. Use that brain of yours. Ron has left me for the last time. What we had we never will again."

"But-"

"But nothing." He paused then sighed.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry you got caught in this. I really am. Good bye Hermione."

With that he released her bindings and apparated away, leaving Hermione in tears. She had tried to explain that she didn't mean to go with Ron, she was trying to hold him back. Then, when they ran into the snatchers, she was able to get out, and she came right back to him because there was nowhere else she would ever be except by his side.

Now, she was alone in the woods, without either of her two best friends. For the first time since Harry befriended her, she felt the crushing fear that she always had when the kids in school used to tease her. But, more than anything, she felt alone again.


	2. 2 Into the Dragon's Den

Into the Dragon's Den

(aka Meeting the neighbours)

The Scottish highlands are one of the worst environments in the world. The weather is freezing, the roads are terrible, and there's no plant or animal life besides a few sheep. The only exception is a single mountain in the middle of all the others. Perennially shrouded by mist, very few know it exists, much less having seen it. The mountain is covered with dense alpine trees everywhere but a perfectly circular clearing right on the top.

It was right in the middle of this clearing that a young wizard popped into existence. Not even checking if the area was clear, he collapsed to his knees and let out a long sigh. After all that happened to him, he was still too emotional to think straight.

Unfortunately for him, he was not alone. Several pairs of eyes saw his appearance and watched him intently. He had invaded into the heart of their territory, and they were ready to fight him to the death to keep it that way. Despite their bulk, the beings hid easily along the thick forest.

Slowly, the wizard stood up and unknowingly revealed his face to his watchers. The ones who saw him clearly gasped in surprise. The wizard took a deep breath, then took off his glasses and wiped his eyes. His eyes were bright green and seemed to shine in the pale moonlight. Absentmindedly, he pushed his hair back revealing a lightning bolt scar on his forehead. At a glance, the scar seemed deep and fresh, but in actuality, it was close to sixteen years old.

To the watching group, there was no doubt as to the identity of the intruder. The scouts sent a message relay to the rest of the group.

'Harry Potter has arrived.'

The boy in question was oblivious to all of this. He simply wanted to spend some time alone to try and sort out his emotions and his life. Shakily, he took the tent off his shoulder and the set it up magically. In the state he was, he never realized that his wand stayed in his pocket and his mouth stayed shut. In his grief, Harry had done what most wizards and witches thought was impossible, wandless, non-verbal magic.

The tent was set up, and Harry quickly stepped inside, not bothering to cast any wards. He simply entered the tent and collapsed into the closest bed. Fifteen minutes later, he was fast asleep.

Meanwhile, the scouts surrounding him had got their response.

'Do nothing. We're sending someone to handle him'

The group accepted the instructions without comment. It was what they planned to do anyway. Only morning would tell if the boy was ready for what they had to give him.

Harry woke the next morning with an empty stomach and heavy heart. He knew Hermione wanted to help him, but he was just too angry at her for choosing Ron over him. In his anger he realized he left behind the one person in the world who would help him the most. For all her faults, Hermione was fun company and a good friend. She knew Harry well enough to tell him what he needed to hear without fear and to his face. And he had thrown her to the side.

Harry took a deep breath, and then got up. He had slept on a random bed last night, and only just realized that it was Ron's. He pushed himself up and looked around at his former friend's belongings. Ron hadn't brought much with him, just a loud mouth and an insatiable appetite. Looking again at the night stand, Harry saw something he had completely forgotten about. Lying there, unassumingly, was Dumbledore's deluminator.

Despite fiddling with it for hours, Ron hadn't found anything that the lighter could do besides put out the lights. For the life of him, Harry couldn't figure out what it was meant to be useful for, so he just slipped it into his pocket to think about later.

Harry then took a good look at the entire tent. Aside from a couple of clothes strewn around, there wasn't anything really useful. Suddenly, he noticed a small piece of plastic sticking out of the cupboard that Ron was using. He quickly opened it to see what it was. And what he saw sent him into a rage.

"That bastard!" he roared. For all Ron's complaining about being hungry, that useless git had a massive storage of a variety of packaged foods, from chips to breads to god knows what else. Harry was furious and wanted to find the prat just to kill him, but his hunger was overpowering.

Half an hour later, Harry had a full stomach, and was able to start thinking clearly again. Then he realized that he had no idea where he was. In his rush to get away from Hermione, he never focused on his destination.

'How the hell didn't I splinch,' he wondered off-handedly.

Making sure he had his wand, he slowly stepped out of the tent, unsure of what to expect. In his short life, he learned that the impossible was just another daily occurrence. Needless to say, today was no different. The moment he had stepped out of his tent, he immediately noticed two things. One, he was on a clearing on a hilltop somewhere. Ten feet from the tent in every direction was a thick forested growth. Second was that In the midst of the growth, there were several eyes, all fixed tightly on him.

"Who's there?" yelled Harry to his unknown watchers, "Show yourselves!"

He didn't really expect them to comply, and was shocked when a large patch of darkness seemed to step forward from the shadows.

The figure slowly resolved itself into what seemed to be three massive shapes. The one in the middle seemed to be a bulked up man. His eyes never left Harry's, but didn't seem to stare either. The two shapes on either side seemed identical, but Harry couldn't figure out what they were. More unsettling was the fact that they had no eyes. Either the creatures had their eyes shut or…. Harry didn't even know what to think.

The man in the middle raised his hands slowly in a placating gesture.

"Calm down son, we won't hurt you," he said in a deep, calm voice that reminded Harry of Kingsley. However, the man in front of him was nothing like the friendly aurror Harry knew. His skin had a rich tan to it, and was very well muscled. The man wore nothing but a pair of jeans, his upper body was bare, showing off a physique that would put most body-builders to shame. But, despite his bulk, he seemed agile, his movements were smooth and controlled.

"Who are you?" Harry asked, aiming his wand at him.

"My name is Jackson. I'm currently leading the team here. None of them will attack, unless you provoke them. So, if you would lower your wand son, that might make our conversation a bit easier"

Slowly, Harry lowered his wand, but kept it pointing at the strange man in from of him, ready to fire. Despite what he said, Harry was unsure of him. It didn't help that Jackson and the two figures on either side of him were slowly moving forward, towards the edge of the clearing.

"Why are you here Jackson?" asked Harry, curious as to what the man would want from him.

"I could ask you the same kiddo," Jackson retorted. "You are on our land here, giving us full rights to attack you for trespassing. But, you seemed a little stressed last night, so we decided to give you some time to settle in, before-"

"Wait, what!? How long have you been here?"

"Since you arrived and set of the alarm. Now, are you all calm yet? The big man wants to see you."

Harry paled at the thought of someone that Jackson would call a big man.

Jackson meanwhile, had reached the edge of the clearing. In the light, his tan didn't seem as sharp, but it was none the less apparent to any Briton. The two other figures remained behind him in darkness, refusing to resolve themselves into anything clearly.

"Look, I'm really sorry about this." Harry tried to talk his way out, "I didn't mean to trespass. I'll just pack up and leave-"

"Relax kid, he doesn't want to eat you. You're too skinny anyway." Jackson smiled. "He just wants to welcome a guest who is going to be here for a while."

"Wait, you've got it wrong, I'll need to be going really soon-"

"Yeah? Where you off to?" Jackson asked, seemingly amused. Harry was dumbstruck. He really had no idea of where to go next. He simply hadn't thought about it.

"Look, none of us intend of any harm. And you obviously aren't here to kill us either. So relax"

Harry took a deep breath, and assessed the situation. He was badly outnumbered, and had no plan at all.

"Okay, I'll come with you." Harry said, in what he hoped wasn't a defeated manner.

"Great!" Jackson said, smiling brightly. "Just pack up first, you're gonna be staying with us from now on."

Harry obliged grudgingly. He hated turning his back, but knew Jackson already had ample time to attack and kill him. Since he was still alive, he reasoned that they really didn't want to kill him. At least not yet.

With a wave of his wand, he packed up the tent. He just picked it up when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry buddy, but this may sting," said a voice. Suddenly, Harry felt strange all over. The sensation reminded him of apparition, but not as uncomfortable.

When they reappeared at their destination, Harry looked on in shock. In front of him was a fortress, bristling with armaments. It had a strange familiarity about it, but looked like no castle Harry had ever seen before. Its grandeur and power put even his first glimpse of Hogwarts to shame.

Above the monolith, he could make out various flying shapes, but couldn't tell what they were. They had colossal wings compared to their bodies which seemed to hold them easily in the air.

Harry turned to the side to look at Jackson, and his eyes went wide. The two figures that had been behind him finally showed themselves. His brain, unable to cope with the information overload, shut down. At the edge of his consciousness, Harry heard Jackson's voice floating down to him.

"Welcome to our home, kid. Welcome, to the Dragon's Den."


	3. 3 An Unexpected Meeting

An Unexpected Meeting

(aka What the hell is he doing here?)

"Welcome to the Dragon's Den"

Harry awoke, slightly groggy. He shook his head to focus himself before opened his eyes to see the room around him was blur. One thing was clear- He had no idea where the hell he was. He reached for the bedside table to get his glasses, when a hand stopped him. The hand picked up the glasses and put them on his face.

The world snapped into clarity. Harry looked at the owner of the hand, and realized it was the man from the clearing- Jackson he said was his name. But something was nagging the back of Harry's mind, as though there was something he should remember. Then Harry recalled the last thing he saw before passing out.

"Jackson, what the fuck!? I swear you had wings!"

Jackson laughed, "Yeah, we usually get that response. Anyway, as you can see, they are gone for now."

Harry looked again. They were gone. Jackson was wearing a T-shirt now, a deep blue one, that hid his torso, and apparently wings too.

"What do you mean gone for now?" Harry asked, feeling completely lost. "And where the hell am I?"

"Where are you? You're in my room. You seemed a bit overloaded, so I thought some rest would be good for you." Jackson smiled comfortingly. "As for the confusion you may feel, that will be cleared up in a while."

"Why can't you tell me now?"

"I could answer now, and you learn bits and pieces that make no sense, or you could wait and get the whole story in a short while. Your choice, Harry."

Harry accepted that grudgingly. Then it struck him-

"How do you know my name?"

"All in good time, kiddo. For now, just relax. I hate to ask this, but calm down and trust me. I'll take you to meet the rest, and then we can answer all your questions. Can you wait for that?"

"I guess I can," Harry sighed.

"Good, then let's get moving!" Jackson said, the broad smile never leaving his face.

Harry slowly got out of the bed, is muscles a bit stiff. He tried standing up, only to collapse back down from the blood rush.

"Calm down, we've got time. Here, let me give you a hand" Jackson offered Harry his hand, and helped him stand gently. Grabbing his shoulder, Jackson waited till Harry was a bit more stable on his feet before letting go.

"You seem a little weak; I think you should eat first. Think you can do that?" Jackson asked gently. He knew that curiosity was pulsing through the youngling, but that his body needed sustenance desperately.

"I guess I should," Harry admitted weakly. His body felt so weak, he was barely able to stand. Jackson nodded then helped him to the door of the room. Being this close to the man, Harry suddenly realized the sheer size of him. Jackson was easily six and a half feet tall, but not freakishly so. His body was muscled, if not ripped, yet his grip was gentle. Then Harry remembered the wings again. They were massive and though thin looked powerful. How could Jackson just put them away like an old robe?

As if reading his mind, the man in question responded "One of the first things we learn is to fold our wings up and hide them. I doubt seeing me walk down Diagon Alley with my wings out would do much good for the wizards watching me."

Jackson continued walking, half carrying, half dragging Harry forward with him. Harry looked around quickly and noticed the hallways were deserted.

"Where is everyone?" he asked.

"I asked them to stay out of the way till all explanations were given. Once you understand us, things will be back to normal." Jackson said cheerily.

"Umm… Thanks I guess?" Harry said, unsure of whether he had been done a favor or not.

"Welcome kid. And here we are," he finished the statement with a shove to a pair of doors. On the other side was a room the size of the great hall, but with many more tables. The room was completely empty, again thanks to Jackson.

On the far end, Harry could make out what seemed to be a self service aisle. But, Jackson instead steered him to the nearest chair and sat him down. Then, he moved to get Harry the food he promised. Harry, meanwhile, took his time to look around. He realized that the tables were all metal, as were the chairs that were there. The room itself was rather bring and cheery, sunshine streaming in from the many windows along one wall. Looking back, he saw the door he entered from, a large wooden one. Along the wall opposite the windows, there was another pair of doors. They looked the same as the ones he enter through, except that they were huge. It looked like three people Jackson's size could fit through with ease.

While he was absorbing his surroundings, Jackson had already reached the food. Grabbing a plate, he piled it on with a few items that he chose carefully. Satisfied with his choices, he turned and walked back to where his rather skinny charge was seated. He thought back over the information they had on the kid. None of it was nice to know, especially his first ten years with the Dursley's. He mused to himself whether he should tell the kid of his relatives' fate, before deciding against it. It would be best kept for later.

Jackson reached back to where Harry was sitting, and put the plate in front of him.

"Eat up, it may not be to your standards, but it won't kill you either," he said with a wink.

Harry did so with gusto. He never realized how hungry he was before then, and was now out to remedy the matter. Jackson smiled seeing Harry devour the food in front of him. The kid looked starved in his opinion, and he planned to take care of that, regardless of what the council voted. Speaking of which,

"Harry, I'll be back in a bit. Just need to have a quick word with a friend"

"Yeah… Sure," the response came between bites.

Not entirely sure that Harry heard him, Jackson left anyway. He needed to get word to the council before Harry got there.

Harry was oblivious to his companion's actions. The food on his plate was disappearing down his gullet at high speed. Nothing special, just some rice and gravy; but it filled him well, and tasted nice. Scraping his spoon across the plate, he scooped up the last grain of rice and popped it into his mouth. Swallowing, he sat back content.

Just as he was about to start thinking again, he heard the door open behind him. Thinking it was Jackson, he got up to greet him. Harry turned, smiling, and was about to speak, when he saw the face of the new arrival. Harry could recognize that face anywhere. His eyes narrowed to slits, and suddenly both of them were standing with their wands drawn and ready to fight.

"Potter, what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same, Malfoy."

The two rivals glared at each other, raising their wands simultaneously. Suddenly, a voice roared from across the room.

"PUT THOSE WANDS AWAY OR YOU'LL BOTH BE SERVED FOR DINNER!"

Both boys jumped and turned to see who had spoken. Entering from the other door was Jackson, with a rather smug look on his face. Beside him was another man, about the same size, with a look of fury on his face. Neither boy moved.

"Harry, do as he says," Jackson said calmly. Harry twitched his wand, then turned to look at Malfoy again. The two stared into each others' eyes, before Malfoy nodded.

"On three Potter"

"Fine, one"

"Two"

"Three," they said together, both slowly moving their wands away simultaneously. Jackson sighed in relief. He was worried the two would kill each other before all explanations could be given.

"Harry, come on," Jackson said, "You will get all your answers now".

Never taking his eyes off Malfoy, Harry complied. Once they were in the hallway, Harry turned on Jackson.

"Why the hell is Malfoy here? And who was that?"

"That was Dave, a good friend of mine," replied Jackson, "He really hates infighting. As for why Malfoy is here, you will find out soon enough."

Harry nodded, unconvinced. A million thoughts were running through his head, but he kept them there. Jackson stopped Harry in front of a large door.

"Harry, you are about to meet the council. On my request, they look like me for now, but they will show their wings when the time comes."

Harry nodded, still uncertain.

"Okay. Anything else?"

"Yes. We have a pretty good intelligence network, so don't be surprised if we know something."

Jackson moved to open the door before he paused and turned back to.

"One last piece of advice, speak your mind. Give your thoughts and ask your questions the moment they come up. Any confusion now will lead to a host of problems later."

"Uh, okay I think I can do that"

"Now, are you ready?"

Harry took a deep breath to steady himself.

"Yeah"

"Then let's go"

Jackson turned, pushed the door open, and walked straight into the room. Harry blinked, steeled himeself, then followed.


	4. 4 Some Answers

Some Answers

(aka The Joker and The Thief)

Harry entered the room behind Jackson, taking in his surroundings. The room was big, but not massive. It was well lit, but not painfully bright. In the center, there was a table. Unlike any regular table, this one was circular, but with the center emptied out. It looked like a ring, with seats all along the outer edge. Every seat there was taken by people who were all the size of Jackson. Looking around, Harry realized that every one of them had either relaxed smiles or completely blank faces. Each one wore a loose robe and a pair of jeans. The few females among them also wore a top that looked like a sports bra. All their robes hung loosely on their shoulders, but seemed to be held up by something behind them as well.

Jackson navigated his way to the two last free seats available. Harry followed, and taking his que from Jackson, sat quickly. Looking to his left, he realized that Dave was seated next to him. Even though he stared straight ahead, Harry swore that Dave was studying him out of the corner of his eye.

Any further thoughts were cut off by a man speaking.

"The council is ready. Let the guest be presented." The one who spoke was large even by the standards of the rest of them. His voice seemed to carry benevolent power.

No one said anything, but Harry swore he saw Jackson suppress a laugh.

"That was oddly formal," Dave finally said. Unlike earlier, his voice was now calm with a tinge of amusement.

Jackson laughed.

"Alright, let's ditch this stiff-assed bullshit. Our guest here is Harry James Potter, which everyone already knows. Found by my team while on patrol last night, and all that stuff that everyone already knows. Now, most of this stuff Harry doesn't know, so I suggest that we start with a few explanations."

As Jackson finished, he nudged Harry's chair forward. To the boy's shock, the table opened up, and the chair moved towards the center of the ring. Harry squirmed in his chair. This was far too close his trial at the ministry for his comfort. The only difference in his mind was that the chair was a bit more comfortable, not that it helped much.

The man who spoke first stared at Harry, as if trying to see his soul. Trying not to seem weak, Harry tried to hold his gaze. Suddenly, the man smiled.

"Welcome home," He said in a calm, reassuring voice.

"What do you mean home? Where am I?"

"You are in a fortress known as the Dragon's Den. It houses us," here he gestured to the people at the table, "Our teams, and our allies. The reason I welcomed you home is because only those who call this place home can come to it the way you did."

"What you mean apparate?"

"Yes and no. I'll try and explain-"

"Actually, a born mage should take this one," the woman sitting to his right interjected.

"You remember the 3 D's of apparition?" she turned and asked Harry.

Harry nodded.

"And they are?"

"Destination, Determination and Deliberation"

"Right, and what destination did you have in mind when you apparated last night?"

Harry was dumbstruck. How had this not occurred to him earlier? He had simply wanted to get away from there.

"You had no destination in mind, all you had was a feeling. You had the will to go to some kind of place. What kind of place were you thinking of, Harry?"

"Somewhere safe. Somewhere I could rest. Somewhere I could gather my strength…"

"Some place that you could call home" the man said quietly, but loud enough that everyone could hear him. Harry nodded slowly, it was starting to make sense.

The woman spoke again.

"That particular hilltop you landed on is the arrival spot for all those traveling here by magic. The magic that protects this land also protects travelers coming to it. Think about it. You apparated without a clear destination in mind. How the hell didn't you splinch?"

Harry thought about it. Things were starting to clear up, in a roundabout way.

"Okay, I can accept that. Now, who and what are you?"

The man took over again.

"Personally, you can call me Doom." He gestured to the woman who had spoken. "This is Natalia. As for what we are, that's a bit of a long story. To start with, tell us what you know of genetics."

"Umm…" Harry thought back to the muggle biology classes he used to have at school. He remembered something like a rope ladder, but not much else.

"Not much I see," said Doom. His voice sounded like he was chiding Harry, "But I doubt that's your fault really. Now, Genetics is the study of what makes us what we are."

At the lost look on Harry's face, Natalia tried instead.

"What decided that a human has two legs and two arms? What decides that a snail gets a shell? What decides that a giant is so large? The answer is our genes, the most basic stuff that any living matter is built on. The study of this is known as genetics"

"Oh…" was all Harry managed to get out.

Doom again took over.

" Indeed. Now, we had a group of scientists who managed to figure out the genetic code for most creatures. They figures which genes gave wings, which ones gave scales, et cetra, et cetra. You with me so far?"

"Umm, yeah I think. You had a group of scientists who figured out why each creature is the way it is."

"Yes. But, figuring out the genetic code was the first step. Being able to change it was next."

"Change it? How?"

"I think I can explain that better," this time it was a woman to the left of him that spoke. Harry swiveled his chair around so that he could see her better.

"Once you isolate the code, if you know exactly which part does what, you can change it around to get the result you want. For example, if I took a sample of your blood right now, I could find your code, and then change it to match that of a 60 year old Chinese woman."

Harry fought the instinct to jump behind the chair and hide.

"Okay, I think I get the idea. But if you take it out of me and change the code, won't it stop being a part of me?"

"You're not a total idiot, Mister Potter."

"Thanks, I think? But please, call me Harry"

"Okay then, Harry. You're right, if I change even the slightest thing about the code, it is no longer part of you. Your body will fight it like a foreign infection.

So, we have the code and we can change it. Now there's only one thing left to do- put it back."

"Hang on, you just said-"

"I know what I just said, now shut up and let me finish."

"Sorry," Harry said sheepishly.

"Now, to get the genetic material back is a bit of a problem. The body will reject it like an infection. So that's what we decided to do, introduce it as an infection."

Harry look at her, completely lost.

"Harry, do you know how a virus works?"

He shook his head. The woman sighed.

"It's very simple really. The virus will attach itself to a cell in your body. It then changes the genetic code to its own, before destroying the cell to create a new virus. Got that?"

"Yeah…"

"So, all we had to do is change the virus so that it doesn't destroy the cell on exit. The result- a modified genetic code in the original body."

Harry was speechless. He barely understood most of that, and what he did didn't make much sense either.

"Sorry, say that again?"

The woman sighed in annoyance while the rest chuckled.

"Long story short, we got a way to change anything we want about any living creature," Natalia explained.

"Oh"

"Yeah, for example, we could take a normal person, turn him into a centaur, a mermaid, or something half human."

"Why not the full way?"

"Well, we can. But, what's the point?"

"Ah…"

"So," Doom spoke again, "You got most of that at least?"

"Yeah, I think," said Harry.

"Okay, then think about this. Our entire group has undergone that procedure."

Harry looked around, wide eyed.

"Wha.. Bu… You all look human to me!"

"Well, remember when you saw me earlier?" Harry spun around to face Jackson.

"Yeah, you had…" he trailed off, understanding starting to dawn.

"Half-human transformations," he murmured, "You gave yourselves wings"

"Not just the wings," Doom said with a feral smile, "The strength, the speed, and the power of the dragons run in all our blood."

As he finished, he shook off his robe. Emerging from it, were two massive wings. Each one looked seven feet tall, and were a deep black colour. Similarly, the rest of the group shrugged of the robe. Turning around, Harry could see all of their wings. Some were blood red, others were an inky blue. Natalia's was dark purple. He noticed Jackson and Dave were the same colour- a deep green.

"That's the secret of this fortress," Doom continued, "That's why only those who call it home are allowed here. Because we possibly the most powerful race on Earth. We have the speed, strength and raw power of the dragons, matched with the cunning, intelligence and agility of the human mind."

"Then," Harry said, his anger starting to rise, "You could have killed Voldermort the first time around! You could have taken over the ministry and ensured that no species was mistreated! YOU COULD HAVE PREVENTED ALL OF THIS!" Harry was now on his feet, walking towards Doom, staring him straight in the eye.

"Could we?" the woman next to Doom asked calmly, "Do you think the wizards would just lie down and allow us to take over? Do you think that people like Delores Umbridge would let half-breeds created by muggle science rule over her? No, there would have been a bloody war, far worse than the one going on right now. Think Greyback is bad? That war would have made a whole pack like him. Think the dementors are scary? There would have been legions of creatures far worse. No," he said, shaking his head, "We stay out of it and watch from the shadows. If our help is asked for, then we will give it to those who need it most. Otherwise, we wait and watch, as we have done for the last thousand years."

"Besides," said the Natalia, "If we had joined, it wouldn't have been on the side of the Thief."

"What do you mean?"

"Natalia," Doom said warningly.

"He deserves to know," Natalia shot back.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"The boy needs the truth. The Thief hid far too much from too many."

"Wait, who is the Thief?" Harry asked, with a sinking feeling he knew what the answer was going to be.

"Albus fucking Dumbledore"

Harry sat silently while an internal battle raged. On one hand, Dumbledore had done so much to help him. He always had the answers, and always helped Harry when he needed it.

'Did he?' asked another part of his mind.

'Why did he never tell you about the prophecy until Sirius had died? Why did he never check on you at the Dursley's all those years? Where was he in the fifth year when I had those visions?'

Dumbledore had never shared much with Harry, most of the things he found out were from other sources. Skeeter's book, which Harry initial refused to believe, was making more and more sense.

Then another thought struck him.

"What did he steal?"

There was a pause and the mood darkened perceptibly. No one said anything, but their eyes seemed to harden.

"He came to us many decades ago," Dave finally said. His voice had great pain and anger, but his face betrayed nothing.

"It was shortly after he parted ways with Grindlewald. With his sister dead and brother furious at him, he didn't know where to go, and wound up here. We took him in. On his request, we trained him is a few magics. But, we made a deal. We would teach him what he asked for, and he would only use it to kill Grindlewald."

"As far as I know he kept that deal," Harry said.

"He did," Dave agreed, "But not before he stole from us everything that he could fit into his pockets."

Harry didn't quite know what the right thing to say was, and promptly stuck his foot in his mouth.

"That couldn't have been a whole lot"

The resultant growls told him that it was in fact a whole lot.

"You ever heard of expansion charms?" the woman next to Doom asked bitingly.

"Sorry," Harry replied, meekly.

There was a long pause, before Natalia spoke.

"For… certain reasons, we couldn't follow him back. By the time we could get word out on what he stole, he had already hidden them. By the time we figured out where some of them were, he had moved them and the fight against Grindlewald was at its peak. So, anyone we sent was accused of being a supporter of the dark. And, well, you can see where this is going."

Harry nodded, quietly assimilating this information and trying to fit it against what he already knew. Natalia let him do so for a moment before carrying on.

"Shortly after he had dealt with Grindlewald, he became headmaster and hid everything he stole in his stronghold."

"Stronghold? Do you mean Hogwarts?"

"His quarters to be precise," Dave added darkly. "Though there might have been a couple in his office."

"And it gets better," the woman next to Doom added bitterly.

"Interestingly enough, there is a genetic code for both dark and light lords," Natalia said.

"What!?"

"It is, quite literally, in your blood. By nature, the dark and light are evenly matched. So, Dumbledore perverted it. Using a patch-work spell based on how we turn ourselves, he removed the inherent weakness of the light lords and made himself unbeatable by any dark lord."

"And that's a bad thing?" Harry asked, uncomprehendingly.

"Let me demonstrate," the man on the far side of the woman next to Doom spoke up. He either pulled out or conjured a set of balance scales and put it on the table.

"Nature is built on balance. Male and Female, Magic and Technology. As long as they stay in balance, the world is fine." He said; dropping small pebbles equally onto both scales, ensuring the balance remained steady.

"But, the moment it gets skewed…" he trailed off dropping a large stone onto one side. The entire balance tilted and fell of the table with a resounding clang.

There was utter silence.

"So," Harry said quietly, "It's a very bad thing."

"Yes," Natalia chuckled, "Yes it is. And it became worse when he decided that as a hero, he needed a villain. Enter Tom Marvolo Riddle, or as we know him, the Joker."

Making the connections in his head, Harry sat stunned in wide-eyed with shock.

"You mean he…"

"Created the greatest mass murderer in history? Yes."

"Holy shit"

"Indeed"

"Hang on, if he was so powerful why was the light losing in the first war?"

"That was by design," Doom spoke once more. "As long as he kept a small margin of victory, everyone would see his as strong and not Riddle as weak.

"Oh…"

"Unfortunately, it doesn't end there," Doom took over again, "Things were going the Thief's way until the prophecy came along. Once he heard that, he figured that he could never beat the Joker while you lived. One of you would have to kill the other before he could kill either of you."

"You mean-"

"He raised you as a lamb for slaughter. Ever wondered why he refused to train you despite knowing what you would have to face? Why he ensured that you would always return to the place you hated most? He kept you weak and needy. He set you up to die at the Joker's hand. How do you think the prophecy became public knowledge? The old bastard himself leaked it to the press. Can you imagine what it would do to his image? He defeated the dark lord where even the one chosen by fate couldn't. He became the chess master in the shadows, playing with people's lives. But he knows this, he knows he reneged on our deal. That's the real reason he gives so many second chances. He knows we would find out. He's trying to turn them back to his side. If he can do that, he thinks he can convince us to try and do the same to him."

"You keep talking like he's alive. Dumbledore died six months ago!"

"Did he now?"

"What do you mean? I SAW HIM GET HIT BY SNAPE! I SAW THE BODY ON THE GROUND!"

"The man trying to set himself up as the greatest wizard since Merlin allowed himself to die?"

Harry stayed silent. He was thinking back to that night. Snape casting the curse. Dumbledore's body falling. He shook his head to clear it. They had a point. Dumbledore would have planned for such an eventuality. He always had a plan. He wouldn't have left the school so unguarded. And he definitely wouldn't have let himself get killed that easily.

"Anyway, there is a more pressing matter at hand." Dave cut in, "Do you want to be trained?"

Harry blinked in surprise.

"Trained?"

"Yes. We can teach you to fight, both physically and magically. We can give you the knowledge of how to plan an effective attack, or hold a solid defense. We can teach you what you should have been taught for the last sixteen years. Do you want it?"

Harry thought about it.

"I'm sorry, but I have to find a way to ensure that Voldermort doesn't come back to life."

"The horcruxes, we know." This time Jackson spoke, "We can help you find them, but they don't deal with the present problem. Riddle is alive and killing. You need to be able to take him out. You know you can't do that alone. We can help you. While you train, we'll search for the horcruxes for you. We'll destroy them in your stead. That way you train to beat the last piece, the one that is still living."

Harry silently pondered it for a while it seemed promising, too promising in fact.

"What's the catch," he asked, afraid to get himself into another mess.

"We take out both the Joker and the Thief. We help you kill your enemy, you help us kill our. Fair trade," Doom said this with a tinge of malice in his voice. Harry contemplated his options. None were appealing.

He was saved from making a decision by the door being slammed open and another dragon/human hybrid walked in.

"Attack on Greengrass Manor," he called out loudly, "Cylde sent the girls here to call in the debt."

Doom was already up and moving.

"What about Bonnie and Clyde?"

"Too late. They're dead."


	5. 5 A Dragon's Debt

A Dragon's Debt

(aka Some strange comfort)

_"What about Bonnie and Clyde?"_

_"Too late. They're dead."_

Doom had already reached the door by this point. The moment he heard those words, he stopped dead in his tracks.

Slowly, he raised a fist, and then suddenly smashed it into the door frame.

"FUCK!"

And then he was out the door and gone.

Harry looked around at the rest of the seated council. Well, formerly seated, as they were all up and moving in total chaos. Harry saw Natalia stalk out of the room, seemingly calling orders to people he couldn't see. He saw Dave and Jackson both moving quickly towards the door. Harry just sat there in shock. He had no idea what was going on. He knew that Daphne Greengrass was a girl in his year, nicknamed the 'Ice Princess' for her frosty demeanor. The only male who she spoke to without threatening to hex certain body parts off was Blaise Zabini. Thinking hard, he remembered that she had a younger sister, but couldn't remember her name.

Harry remained oblivious to the chaos around him. He tried to figure out a connection between the Greengrasses and the half-dragons that were hosting him. So far his mind was drawing a blank. Suddenly, he saw Jackson's head poke around the door. Wordlessly, he gestured for Harry to follow.

Harry got up to move, and the table immediately opened to let him past. He almost ran forward to try and catch up to Jackson, who had already taken off down the hallway. Chasing after him, Harry suddenly noticed Dave and Malfoy standing to the side, in the midst of an argument with Dave.

"You said I would be able to speak today!"

"Think for a minute you idiot! After what just happened, Doom will rip your head off before you can even open your mouth!"

Harry was unable to catch anything more as he now ran to catch up to Jackson. When Harry did, he saw that his face was dead. The usual smile he had and the slight gleam in his eyes was missing. If he noticed Harry was next to him, he didn't show it. He just kept walking forward at a tremendous pace, his eyes never moving.

"Err…" said Harry, unsure of what to say to the half-dragon next to him. He wanted answers, but was unsure of the questions.

"Where are we going?" this seemed simple enough to start with.

"To get you to the Greengrass girls."

"Oh… wait what!?"

Jackson didn't even turn when Harry nearly walked into the wall at his response.

"The only one they know of here is Doom, and he's about to explode. They need someone to comfort them. You just got drafted"

Harry was speechless. The crying girls were never something he handled well. Look at Cho!

"But-"

"You're human," Jackson cut him off, "One of two in the Den. Somehow I doubt they will take to the presence of Draco very well."

Suddenly, they came to a stop. Harry realized with a start that they were at the front gates of the fortress. At the entrance, he saw two blonde girls on their knees, sobbing heavily. The smaller one had a death grip on the elder, who simply looked forward with tears streaming down her face. Suddenly, Doom was approaching them. The elder one saw he when he was five feet from them.

"Are… Are you Doom?" she choked out.

"Yes," Doom replied in a surprisingly soft voice, "That's me. What happened to your parents?"

The girl looked like she was going to collapse, before pulling herself together to speak again. Harry could see that she wouldn't be able to hold together for much longer.

"Daddy said that he's calling in his debt. He said he's calling it for us. He-" she choked on a sob again.

"He said that he might not be able to follow us!" And, with that, she collapsed on top of her sister, her sobbing renewed. Harry simply stared at her in shock. The Slytherin Ice Queen had earned her title well at school. To see her broken like this left him shocked to the core.

Doom, meanwhile, simply bent and hugged both the girls. It was quite a sight. His wings stretched behind, quivering, as though ready to fight. They stayed like that for almost five minutes.

Slowly, Doom pried the younger girl's hands off the elder one. They immediately snapped around his own neck. Picking her up like a three year old (given the size comparison between the two, it seemed about right), he slowly stood. He gently picked up the elder, so that she was standing, and hugged with his free arm. Then, he steered her into the depths of the fortress.

Jackson nudged Harry forward, and then followed the group. Harry was still in shock, he was scared out of his wits at the task in front of him. Jackson, who was now walking a little behind Harry, picked up on that very quickly.

"Look, I am sorry for this, but I need you to do this for me," he said quietly. Harry simply nodded. Words were the last thing his mind was capable of at that moment. Doom suddenly turned and entered a room. Harry paused outside, not sure what to do. He felt a soft, comforting hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Natalia. Her bright brown eyes seemed to radiate comfort.

"Harry, don't worry," she said soothingly, "I'm here to help. I can take care of Astoria, you just need to help Daphne okay?" Harry nodded again.

Doom suddenly emerged from the room. Without a word, he took off down the hallway.

"Good luck kid," Jackson said before shooting off after him.

Natalia looked at Harry, feeling for the boy.

"Harry," she called. Harry looked up at her.

"Just go to Daphne and hug her. She might hit you and fight back, but don't let go. Just hold her."

Natalia could sense the boy's anxiety, and his lack of knowledge on how to handle the matter, so she gave him the one piece of advice that worked on any distressed female- hold her. Harry nodded yet again, still not trusting his voice. Natalia sighed, and then walked into the room.

Harry followed, taking his time to look around the room. It was fairly simple. On the left, there was a large bed lined up against a wall. On the right, a couch, in front of which there was a table and a fireplace. Harry then looked for the girls.

The younger one (Astoria- that was what Natalia had called her) was on the bed. Natalia had already made her way there. She picked up the little girl, and sat down on the bed. Gently, she put Astoria onto her lap. Her wings stretched out across the bed, touching the floor of the far side. Using then as a support, Natalia slowly began to rock the young girl on her lap. She started humming a tune that he couldn't identify, gently soothing the weeping girl.

Suddenly, Natalia looked up at Harry. Glaring at him slightly, she gestured with her eyes. Following her gaze, Harry saw Daphne curled up in the corner of the sofa, tears still falling. From a window he never noticed, the fading light caught her face, highlighting the tear tracks across it. Slowly, Harry walked towards her, still VERY unsure of himself.

He sat down as close to her as he dared. She simply stared into the empty fire place, not realizing that he was there. Harry looked back at Natalia for support he saw her now leaning against the wall, both legs on the bed. Her wings were now encircling the small girl in her lap, as if trying to protect her from the big, bad world.

Harry then remembered her advice. Summing up his courage, he slowly put his left arm around Daphne's shoulders. She flinched at the contact, but otherwise remained unresponsive. Harry moved a little closer. Still nothing. Then, he gently placed his free hand on her knee. She jerked upright, and turned to look at him. Then she tried to bury herself further into the corner of the couch, and push him away. Remembering his instructions, he kept his left arm on her shoulders, but used his right hand to try and get her to turn towards him. She resisted.

Suddenly she turned, and stared punching him. Her fists hammered on his chest, occasionally striking his face, but he didn't flinch. Instead, he put a hand on each of her shoulders, gently pulling her closer now. She didn't stop punching till their faces were half a foot apart. Then, she burst out crying. She collapsed against him, and Harry could feel the dampness spreading across his T-shirt. Still, he brought his arms around, gently embracing her.

For a minute, he remembered Ginny. Though they had officially broken it off, he still considered her his girlfriend, and had often felt guilty about 'living' with another woman, even if it was Hermione. But, for some reason, that feeling was gone. He was holding Daphne in his arms and felt no guilt about 'cheating' on his… well he wasn't sure what anymore.

Daphne, meanwhile, had slowly raised her arms, and was now crushing his rib cage in a hug that could rival Hermione's. All air along with thoughts and feelings of guilt were driven out by that fierce hug. Harry hugged with the same strength. She seemed to relax into him, so he guessed that he was doing alright.

By now, the daylight had faded. Harry held on to the sobbing girl, still not sure of what he was supposed to do. Suddenly, the fire place sprang to life. Harry jumped, as did Daphne. When they landed, they were a bit closer than before. Harry was now fighting the urge to pull this girl into his lap like Natalia had done to her younger sister.

'Ginny,' he thought to himself, 'You love Ginny.'

Fortunately, or unfortunately, the choice was taken out of his hands by the cause of his internal battle. Letting go of Harry, Daphne crawled onto his lap, and then put her arms around him again, hugging him tighter than before. Her head fell against his chest. Her legs, now perpendicular to his, folded back as she curled up into him.

Harry sighed.

'Oh well,' he thought, 'May as well get comfortable.'

He slowly slid himself forward so as not to disturb the girl in his arms. He stretched his feet forward, trying to reach the nearest leg of the table between then and the fire. When he had moved far enough, he used his feet to pull the table towards them. Then he leaned back into the couch, sliding Daphne with him, and propped his feet up on the table.

Daphne's sobs had now receded to the occasional hiccup, but her griped stayed tight. Harry threw his hopes to which ever deities existed, and then began to slowly rub her arm. Aside from her grip relaxing slightly, there was no real change. In the background, he could hear Natalia still humming softly.

Suddenly struck with inspiration, he bent his head down towards her ear.

"Shhh," he said softly, "It's alright."

She responded with a sudden tightening of her grip. Harry was undaunted. He continued making soothing noises, still holding the girl tightly. Slowly, but certainly, her grip loosened. She relaxed into him, her breathing finally starting to even out. He loosened his grip slightly out of fear that he was going to crush her. She didn't seem to notice, and just continued leaning against him. Harry realized that she had fallen asleep.

Realizing how tired he was, Harry decided to follow suit. Right before he slipped into unconsciousness, one last thought ran through his mind;

"All things considered, I don't think I did too badly"

Harry felt something squirming in his lap. On his chest, he felt a weight that was starting to shift rather rapidly. His eyes shot open. It was late in the night and the only light in the room was from the embers of the fire. Harry looked down and saw a mass of blonde hair tossing and turning. His memories came flooding back. Daphne was tossing on him, probably having a nightmare.

Harry quickly hugged her tightly. She tensed up, and then suddenly jerked her head upward. Her eyes snapped open, meeting his almost immediately. Her piercing blue stared into his deep green.

"It's okay," he said softly, his eyes never leaving hers, "You're safe"

She relaxed slightly.

"Please don't let go," she said in a quiet voice, "I don't want to be alone"

She so sounded scared and fragile, that Harry was almost afraid to answer, worried that he might hurt her.

"I'm here," he told her, "And you're never going to be alone."

She leaned back against him and started crying quietly again.

"Don't let go"

"I won't"

Plucking up his courage, he rubbed her arm. She shuddered, feeling his warms hands against her cold skin. Harry frowned. She was too cold. They needed a blanket. Moving his head, he tried to see if he could find one. He suddenly shuddered when he felt how stiff his neck was. He wanted to move, but didn't want to disturb the girl on his lap.

Unable to find a blanket, he decided to summon one. He shifted Daphne slightly, causing her to look at him in alarm.

"Calm down," he said soothingly, "I just need to get my wand."

She nodded her head, but didn't relax fully till he wrapped his arm back around her. Raising his wand without moving his arm, he summoned a blanket. It came flying from behind him, smashing into his head.

By now his neck was REALLY hurting, so he decided to do something about it. As he turned Daphne suddenly jerked awake, looking around in fear again.

He squeezed her gently, and she looked up at him before relaxing slightly.

"I'm turning us around to sleep better," he explained to her. She nodded, digging her chin into his chest, to show she understood. Harry then swung them around, carefully picking her off his lap, grabbing the blanket as he did so.

The sofa obviously had an expansion charm on it, as it easily accommodated both of them. Daphne grabbed his left arm, sticking it under her head as a pillow. Then she snuggled as close to him as she could get. Harry used his right hand to open the blanket and pull it over them, while he used his left to wrap her back into his embrace. Once the blanket was done, he put his right arm across her, pulling her tighter towards him. Daphne relaxed even further into him, before they both drifted off to sleep.

"Harry"

"Whuu…"

"Harry wake up!"

It was a whisper, but it did the job. Harry jerked awake. Looking around, he realized where he was, and then relaxed. He looked down at the girl in his arms. Daphne was sleeping soundly. Harry didn't know why, but the feel of this girl against him just felt right. He turned his head around to see who had woken him.

[5 minutes ago]

Natalia stood over the sleeping couple on the couch. She knew that Astoria would be harder console, so had taken care of her. She knew the Harry had never had a great history with girls, associating with only one or two on a regular basis. But, he wasn't an idiot, and would fine with Daphne.

Natalia looked at them, blissfully sleeping. She thought about what Jackson said when he first brought in the boy.

"He needs the truth. The old bastard has hidden too much from him. Only the truth can help him see past the shadow on that world. Not even a lie by omission can be allowed. This kid is a great chance, we can't waste it."

Deciding that he deserved to know, she leaned over and tried to wake him up.

Ten minutes and two cups of coffee later, Natalia and Harry stood at the window, watching the sun hit the open fields. Natalia liked the boy and, from whatever little she saw of him, knew he had great potential. She decided that he should start getting into the loop.

"How are you feeling now Harry?" she asked politely.

Harry frowned.

"I'm not sure. I feel good about helping Daphne calm down. Too good in fact. I mean I have a girlfriend, kind of, and I-"

"Harry, calm down. We know most your life. Ginny and you agreed to break it off. She's not your girlfriend anymore."

"How do you-"

"Our information network is pretty extensive. We know a lot about almost everyone."

"All of you keep saying we, but who exactly are you?"

"The world at its potential best. The group we belong to has existed from the beginning of magic. Knowing that the magical and mundane populations would never coexist peacefully, this group was formed. By combining science and magic, we reach heights neither civilization could alone. Imagine guns that fire spells. Security systems that are sentient. Potions meets chemistry to form new medicines and poisons. Physics meets charms and transfiguration. Can you imagine the possibilities?"

Harry frowned, not sure he could. Then a stray thought struck him.

"None of you ever mention what your group is called."

"You are a bright one. The original name is forgotten. A couple of hundred years ago or so, we just became the Dragon Warriors."

"Any relation to..." he gestured to her wings.

"Somewhat. We started undergoing the transformation around five hundred years ago. Once the common populace saw us, the just called us Dragon Warriors. Rather appropriate don't you think?"

Harry silently processed this information. He was about to respond, when he heard Daphne cry out in shock. Instantly, he was at her side, comforting her. Natalia just looked at him. Things were going to get very, very interesting.

"It's alright," Harry comforted Daphne, "I'm here. You're not alone."

Daphne instantly calmed. She didn't know what it was, but Harry was able to give her a sense of peace that she never felt before. He was sitting next to her now, rubbing her soothingly through the blanket. His warm green eyes seemed to almost shine with care. With him here, she felt safe. Slowly, she closed her eyes again and drifted off to sleep.

Harry stood up once he was sure that Daphne was asleep, and made his way back to the window. Natalia kept staring out, but Harry had a feeling she saw everything that happened.

"By the way," Harry paused, not sure how to ask this.

"Umm… What exactly is the debt that Mr. Greengrass called in? Everyone was tripping over each other when they heard what happened."

"Doom owes Clyde his life."

"Oh" said Harry, hoping for a bit more explanation. He wanted to press, but felt that it was a sensitive topic.

"It was years ago. Doom was still human then. He was running a basic recovery, getting back something that the Thief had stolen. I don't remember what it was. But, something went wrong, and he had half of the country after him…"

FLASHBACK

Doom was hiding in the bushes near the manor. He knew he had to move soon, otherwise the mercenaries that were trailing him would catch up. He had hoped that the manor was a mundane one so that he could steal a bike or car, but luck seemed to be against him.

Suddenly, he felt someone behind him. He spun around, bringing his gun up, ready to fire. He saw a teenager, about sixteen years old, in front of him. The teen just raised his hands slowly in a gesture of surrender.

"I mean you no harm," he said calmly, "And if you come with me I can help hide you."

"Do you know who is after me?" Doom asked, wondering if the kid knew what he was getting into.

"Yes, and I can hide you from them. Trust me, I want to help."

END FLASHBACK

"Doom stayed there for a week. Clyde was as good as his word. No one could find Doom, and eventually the search was called off. Doom told Cylde that he owed him his life, a debt that he would do anything to repay. Cylde laughed him off, saying that he was happy for the company. Doom persisted, and gave the family a portkey to here. He told Clyde that if he ever needed help, or a place to hide, to come and ask for him. Cylde took the gift, never expecting to use it. But good thing that he had it, otherwise…" Natalia trailed off, looking at the sleeping girls. Harry shuddered at the thought.

"When Doom got back, he made sure that everyone knew about the debt, so that even if he wasn't there, the family wouldn't be turned away."

Silence reigned for a minute. Then, Daphne woke up again as she had the past two times. Once again, Harry was at her side, calming her down.

"Where's Tori?" she asked suddenly, her eyes wide.

"Huh?" Harry had no idea who she was talking about.

"My sister Astoria! WHERE IS SHE?" Daphne was getting hysterical, grabbing Harry's shirt to pull herself up.

"Calm down, she's on the bed" Harry helped her up, and turned her so that she could see her sister. Daphne relaxed once she saw her sister safe. Unfortunately, the noise woke up the girl in question, and she too woke up screaming in fear.

Natalia took her position to calm down the girl

"It's all right Astoria, you're all right."

Daphne meantime was trying to get up to go to her sister. Harry helped her up, and then stood by as she walked across to the bed. She hugged her little sister, which seemed to calm the girl down instantly. Harry wrapped his arms around the two of them, while Natalia's arms covered all of them, creating an impromptu group hug with Astoria in the centre.

Which was promptly disturbed by a knock on the door.

"Breakfast!"

Natalia jumped up and was at the door before any others the others could react. She opened the door, allowing in a dragon warrior carrying for trays in his hands. He quickly set them down, before turning to the group.

"It's 8 in the morning, in case you wanted to know. You girls alright?" the last was directed at the Greengrass sisters, still holding onto each other. Daphne nodded and smiled slightly, while Astoria looked blank.

"Thanks John," Natalia said smiling at him.

"No problem," he smiled back. Then he turned to Harry.

"The council needs your decision. We're meeting in two hours."

And with that he was gone.

Daphne watched the entire exchange quietly. Once the door was shut, she turned to look at Harry, who was looking right back at her.

"Please don't leave me alone," she said fearfully, instantly shocking herself. She was the Slytherin Ice Queen! She sent any boy that tried to talk to her running, and here she was begging the Gryffindor Golden boy to stay with her! What was wrong with her!?

The boy in question was already at her side hugging her. She felt so secure in those arms.

"You're never gonna be alone" he whispered to her softly. She shuddered. Why was she reacting like this?

Then it struck her. The reason she felt safe with him was the same reason she threatened any other guy who asked her out. All they ever wanted to do was just get into her pants. Harry was something else entirely. He just made her feel safe, like he cared about her, not just her looks.

Giving up her own internal struggle, she relaxed into his arms. She felt her sorrow wash away, all thanks to that warm hug he held her in.

Natalia watched Harry hold the two girls. She sighed. Young love really made the heart feel hope. But, breakfast was waiting.

"Come on, we can talk some more as we eat"

Slowly, the three separated. Harry and Daphne moved off the bed with ease. Astoria stayed put. As Harry turned to her, she stuck her arms out.

"Carry me, please?" her voice was so sweet and innocent that Harry couldn't say no. He leaned onto the bed, and gently picked her up. As he brought her to him, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and her legs around his torso. It was the way her father had carried her, and she got a sense of comfort when Harry carried her the same way.

Once she had secured herself, Harry repositioned his arms. His right he placed beneath Astoria, to help hold her up. His left he put around Daphne, pulling her close. Thus reattached, the trio made their way to the couch.

Once there, they sat down, but made no move to separate. Harry simply turned Astoria around, so that she was facing her food. He took his arm off Daphne so that he could pick up two trays from the table and put one in front of each girl. Then, he put his arm back around her and started what was quickly becoming his favorite time killer- stroking Daphne's arm.

Natalia looked at them, her heart filled with wonder. There was more than just young love there, she could sense it. The three of them had got this close after just a single night. Then again, it may just be the emotional rollercoaster that they were on. Oh well, only time would tell.

She picked up the last two trays, and sat on Harry's right. Placing one tray on her lap, she used it to feed Astoria, who refused to budge from her position on Harry's lap. Harry meanwhile fed Daphne, who just sat there, leaning against him and staring off into space. The food itself was nothing exotic, just orange juice, bread and porridge. Between bites, Harry and Natalia fed themselves as well, and within half an hour, four empty trays were stacked on the table.

The four just sat there for a while, looking like a happy family to any who didn't know better. Natalia had adjusted them so that her left wing could stretch behind them, which they were now leaning against. Her right wing stretched equally across the room, just touching the floor at the furthest point. They sat there, leaning on each other, keeping the sadness at bay.

Unfortunately for them, nature decided to call right then.

"Umm… Natalia? I kinda need to use the bathroom." Harry said, trying to hold his bladder.

"Yeah, sure" she said, sensing his urgency. She quickly got up, picked Astoria off his lap, and helped him detach himself from Daphne.

"That door," she told him, point to a door on the far side of the room that he never noticed before. Harry ran for the sake of his pants. Seeing this, Astoria giggled slightly. Even Daphne cracked a small smile. For all the fame he had, Harry was still just human.

Harry emptied his bladder with a groan of relief. He could have sworn that it was three times past its usual capacity. Once that was done, he made his way over to a simple white basin to wash his hands, and freshen up a bit. While doing so, he tried to think of a response to give the council. He needed the training, he knew that. But he couldn't just abandon the world for the time it took to train. Well, they had offered to find the other horcruxes for him. But he still had no way to destroy them.

And then there was Daphne. Harry didn't know why, but he felt compelled to help the girl. He had promised her that she wouldn't be alone, and he intended to do just that. For a minute, his mind snapped back to Ginny. For all the time they spent together, he had never really felt like this with her.

He forced his mind back to the task at hand. The council needed his choice, and he needed someone to talk to. Thinking about his options, his washed his face off.

Once he was done, he stepped back out into the room. By now Natalia had taken Astoria to look out the window, leaving Daphne alone on the couch. Whether by accident or design, Harry didn't know, but it suited what he needed to do.

He walked over to the table, sat down in front of her, and gently put a hand on her knee. Her head jerked toward him, eyes wide. The moment she registered who it was, she relaxed. She reached her arms to him, and he took her hands into his. Gently rubbing them, he decided to broach this issue at hand.

"Daphne," He said, softly but clearly. The girl looked at him, worried about what he was going to say.

"I have to go for this meeting." Her face darkened slightly. She knew that it was his choice, but she didn't want him to go. She wanted him to stay there, with her. She wanted to just sit there wrapped in his arms. She looked away, unable to hold his gaze.

Harry picked up on her mood, if not her exact thoughts. He was worried that she would go into another bout of crying.

"Will you come with me?" he asked suddenly, surprising himself at the offer. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to hurt this girl in any way.

Daphne looked at him, surprised at his offer. She thought about it. It seemed like a good compromise. But,

"What about Astoria?"

"I'll bring her too." It was Natalia who spoke now. She was still holding the little girl, both looking out the window.

That made up Daphne's mind.

"I'll come," she said, looking back into those warm green eyes.

He simply smiled in response.

"Then you better wash up. We have to be there in forty five minutes."

Daphne nodded. He helped her up, and then sat down on the couch himself while she walked across to the bathroom.

Left alone in his thoughts, his mind ran crazy. Why did he feel so at ease with her now? What happened to her Ice Queen persona? Why did he suddenly care so much for a pair of girls he barely knew?

Natalia could almost see the steam coming out of his ears as his mind overloaded. She decided to take pity on the boy.

"Harry," she called, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Ask the council any question you have. They will answer, regardless of your choice to stay here or not. Ask them, someone will know something."

Harry looked at her oddly.

"What do you know?" he asked, a little dangerously.

"Not much. Each one of us knows a part of your story. When we meet, tell them your choice. Then, we can tell you what we know. I get the feeling that it's going to be a very long meeting."

Harry contemplated her answer. At least she promised that his questions would be answered. Realizing that this was the best he was going to get, he nodded in acceptance. Astoria kept looking out the window, oblivious to the conversation.

Daphne chose that point in time to re-enter the room, and Natalia took Astoria with her to the bathroom. Daphne made her way over to the couch and sat down a little distance from Harry. Harry was surprised slightly, but then reasoned to himself that she used the time to reset to her Ice Queen persona.

"So, Potter," Daphne began.

"I think by this point you can call me Harry," he said immediately. Daphne could sense an undercurrent of annoyance in his voice.

"Okay then, Harry. What is this choice you have to make?"

Harry looked at her quizzically.

"Well, if I'm going to be there I'd like to know what you're talking about."

He smiled lightly. Her logic was faultless, just like Herm-

He stopped that train of thought right there. No point reopening old wounds. Not while they were still so fresh.

To distract himself, he gave Daphne the brief version of the choice given to him and his thoughts on the matter. He left out that she was a crucial factor in what he would decide. Better to sort it out himself first.

As he finished, Natalia walked out of the bathroom with Astoria. The young girl was now walking, holding the dragon warrior's hand tightly.

"Come," said Natalia, "Time to go."

Wordlessly, both Harry and Daphne stood, and followed the other two out into the hall. As they stepped out of the room, Harry had the sinking feeling that Natalia was right. It was going to be a long meeting.


	6. Haitus

Going to go to a place were net access is iffy for the next few years, so I will be putting the story on haitus.  
expext a flood of chapters at the end though.

cheers,

AnotherBrother


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